​Paraguay’s senator Celeste Amarilla is demanding that French football star Kylian Mbappé apologize for calling her “a despicable woman” after she made racist remarks about him, threatening to file a gender-based violence lawsuit if he does not retract his statement. ESPN reported that Amarilla posted an open-letter in Spanish on social media, admitting she “regretted” the racist language she used toward Mbappé following France’s 1-0 victory over Paraguay in the 2026 FIFA World Cup. She nevertheless insisted that Mbappé should apologize for his own remarks condemning her comments. “My posts were written in the heat of the moment,” she said. “My mixed-race blood—the beautiful blend of Indigenous and Spanish that runs through my veins—was boiling.”
Her comments drew swift backlash, including a complaint from the French Football Federation (FFF). Amarilla later said she regretted replying with insults she herself had endured, noting that she, too, has faced prejudice for being dark-skinned and Latin American, and labeled by some as “sudaca.” She claimed she was repeating the behavior she despises, so she deleted the post. She acknowledged that her remarks upset Mbappé and others, adding that she expects him to retract his statements and apologize. “I will not tolerate your aggression. You have no idea who I am, and you have no right to say that I AM A DESPICABLE WOMAN, UNWORTHY OF THE OFFICE I HOLD.”
Amarilla characterized Mbappé’s remarks as “gender-based violence” and “political violence against a woman who reached her position through the votes of her people.” She pressed Mbappé to retract his remarks, honor his French citizenship, and apologize to her; otherwise, she warned that she might pursue legal action on gender-based-violence grounds.
The Paraguayan government condemned Amarilla’s racist comments. In posts that have since been deleted, she accused Mbappé of being a “brute” who “sucked on coconuts,” and described him as a “colonised Cameroonian, desperately trying to pass himself off as French.” In her open letter, she stated her reaction stemmed from a viral video that seemed to show Mbappé refusing to shake Paraguayan goalkeeper Orlando Gill. “In a single moment, you showed your contempt, your arrogance and your bad manners,” she wrote. “It hurt me, and it hurt my whole country deeply. France ought to call you to account, because it is a nation of gentlemen with centuries of history and savoir-faire. France should condemn your behavior.”
Mbappé responded directly, addressing Amarilla and calling her “a despicable woman” who is “unworthy” of her position in government. He asserted that she does not represent Paraguay, a country that has demonstrated passion and honor throughout the competition.